Dark Sands
by Dragon'sHost
Summary: Minerva heads to Fairy Tail to speak with a blonde Celestial Mage, at the girl's own request. Along the way, she stops at another blonde Fairy Tail Mage's shop. Can he change her mind about Fairy Tail Mages? Two-shot.
1. Part 1

**Yup. It's official. I'm insane. This idea came about due to three things. First, leoslady4ever requested a serious Max story. Then W1n6s-0f-F1r3 asked to hear the background stories for the parents in Unconventional Beauty. Finally, I was trying to figure out whom to pair Minerva with for Unconventional Beauty. And so this was born. (Sorry, though, W1n6s if you're reading this – it's not the NaVia you were actually looking forward to.)**

**Profuse thanks need to go to ChaoticDucky for suggesting that they meet at his shop. Otherwise, I would never have actually gotten any ideas for this pairing… Which I now dub: MinMax.**

**This takes place Post-Tartarus.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Max sighed and leaned on the counter of his shop. No one was outside in the late August humid, sweltering heat. In fact, he couldn't even hear anyone at Fairy Tail's pool in the distance.

A glance up at the sky revealed why. It might be hot and bright out, but Max couldn't spot a scrap of cerulean in the blank white sky. There wasn't even a breeze fluttering about the empty streets. This was the calm before a storm, he knew. As soon as the clouds darkened the rain would begin to pour down. Laxus might have mentioned something about thunder and lightning on Max's way out the guild doors this morning, but Max hadn't really been paying attention, too eager to start work for the day.

He loved his job. Not as much today, as he was bored out of his mind at the lack of people around, but normally he loved his job. It wasn't so much that he enjoyed business itself or even the shop in particular. The visitors, regardless of whether or not they purchased anything, were what Max lived for.

Having grown up an only child with no real friends, joining Fairy Tail had filled a hole in his heart. The ever present hum of activity and friendly natures of most of the members had drawn him in even on his miserable days when all he wanted to do was hide in a hole. Loneliness had become a thing of the past at the guild, and it was pushed even further away when Max opened up the souvenir shop nearby. All his friends would stop by, tourists, locals, vendors… the stream of people and company and friendship and happiness had seemed like it would never end.

Until it did, seven years ago in December.

It was as if all the light in the world had been snuffed out, and the colour bled from it. Although Max's closest friends still remained, he keenly missed the ones that were gone. He mourned Lucy's infectious greetings and hellos as she passed the shop, Natsu's grin and even his tendency to accidentally set the wares on fire, Gray's interest in the creative aspects of the products (and his stripping habit – Gray's cast-off clothes brought in the majority of the sales), Erza's stern warnings about ordinances and her love of confections shaped like her friends. Wendy looking for new clothes for Carla, Elfman's MANLY declarations, Mira's kind encouragements, Master's belief that Max could make something of his talents for business…

Hell, he missed everyone.

As the flow of visitors to the shop had declined, Max eventually made the painful decision to shut it down. No one was interested anymore, and Max had lost his enthusiasm for it along with his friends.

Instead, he concentrated on his missions and schooling. He never lost faith that Fairy Tail would return to its former boisterous self. All he had to do was be patient. While he waited, he would become stronger in an increasingly desperate chase after his vanished friends. When they returned, he would show them that it hadn't all been for naught. That they had all made the most of the time spent away.

Max shook his head to clear it. Those thoughts belonged to someone else, now. Fairy Tail's missing members had returned, after all. That part of him, the one that languished in loneliness, was long gone. Especially after Natsu's speech during Chariots. Merely remembering it brought a smile to the Sand Mage's face.

"What the hell. I'll close up shop early today," Max announced to the still air. Why not? No one was around, and the morose path his thoughts had turned to made him anxious to visit the guild. Just to check to make sure everyone was still there.

He grabbed his trusty Broom, the one he'd rescued from the old (now current) guildhall when Twilight Ogre had taken over it. This stick of wood and bristles had gotten him through many a lonely day, for it reminded him of all the parties Fairy Tail had thrown seven years ago. Now he kept it with him in the shop, the object too worn out now to handle the messes Fairy Tail was once again creating.

Immersed in his therapeutic sweeping, he failed to notice someone approaching the shop.

"Oh, are you closing up?"

Max froze at the words, chills running down his spine. He'd heard that voice before, during the Naval Battle. It was a sound he'd hoped to never hear again.

Nearly dropping Broom, he slowly turned to face the owner of the husky, dangerous voice.

Minerva Orlando regarded him coolly, as he struggled to say something.

* * *

"What am I doing?" Minerva muttered darkly to herself, and she glided like a shadow through the empty streets of Magnolia.

She knew well what she was doing there, truth be told. The Territory Mage just felt like saying it out loud.

It was all the blonde brats' fault. Her guild's, and Fairy Tail's. They were conspiring to bring peace and love to the world, she was sure. All this goodwill made her want to vomit, honestly. Minerva preferred to darken the world to suit her, and hated the idea of conforming to IT.

That blonde bimbo had no right to tell her to visit the rival guild. And _Guild Master_ Sting (gag) had no right to order her to comply with the request. It hadn't been a damn request. The uppity Celestial Mage knew full well that the new Guild Master of Sabertooth (again, gag – she had only suggested it during the Grand Magic Games to get Sting's ass in gear and she'd had zero intention of going through with the promise) would do anything to promote this new friendship and peace and love and… URP. Yup. She was gonna throw up if she kept thinking about it.

Minerva did understand the friendship thing. A little. Sting and Rogue had been very accepting of her return to Sabertooth, and so had Rufus and Orga for the most part. Yukino's presence had been a surprise, for the both of them. The Celestial Mage was doing her best to get over her lingering reservations about Minerva, but it was obvious that it still bothered her.

So Sting had ordered her to take this request to talk with Lucy Heartfilia as an opportunity to make reparations. Plus, Yukino had a great deal of respect for her fellow Celestial Mage. That would go a long way in Minerva's… rehabilitation.

Nearly outright snarling at the thought, Minerva couldn't stop her lip from curling in distaste. She had little use or regard for weaklings, still. Yukino she could tolerate because Sting and Rogue considered her powerful enough to remain at the guild, but she would not be forced to befriend a damn Fairy. Which was the only reason she conceded to journeying to Magnolia. She was there only to serve notice that she was in no way sorry about what she'd done during the Naval Battle and just where they could shove their love and friendship.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a mop of sandy hair. Stiffening briefly, she glanced over at the individual, planning on delivering a scathing tirade of insults. Only to bite her tongue in restrained frustration when she realized that it wasn't the Celestial Mage, and the person was in fact male.

He didn't seem to see her. So intent on sweeping, he blithely continued his actions while humming cheerfully under his breath.

She glanced over the shop and it's plethora of Fairy Tail memorabilia. Great. It was practically a shrine to the guild. Her eyes narrowed at the proprietor. Was he a Fairy Tail Mage as well?

Her gaze landed on a plushy sitting upon a nearby shelf.

Minerva blinked at it. What was it? It looked like the strange lovechild of a dog and a snowman.

It was… almost cute.

Shaking herself free of the thought, she returned to observing the sandy-haired shopkeeper. Realizing that he was almost finished, she also understood that he must be closing up for the day. She was the only person around, after all.

"Oh, are you closing up?" she asked.

The stranger nearly jumped at her voice, and he gripped his broom tightly in his startled state.

…Messing with him might be fun. And a good way to relieve her frustrations – especially if he turned out to be a Fairy, after all.

* * *

**This ended up being a two-shot.**

**Please review, and let me know what you think of this very odd pairing.**


	2. Part 2

**I had intended for Minerva to hurl more insults at Max in the beginning, but I fell asleep and forgot all the ones I had lined up… I'm pretty sure some of them were good, too. Oh well.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Max struggled to say something, anything, to the woman standing in front of him on the other side of the shop's counter. Her haughty glare bored into him while she waited for him to respond.

He must have taken too long, because she snapped, "Aren't you going to answer me?"

A squeak threatened to escape his throat. "Sorry, ma'am!" he replied, falling back on his customer service training to help him out here. Damn, she was scary. Max found his respect for Lucy increasing by the second. How in the world had she managed to keep herself together against this mage? Let alone directly challenge and lecture her while undergoing a tortuous beating.

Torture he had been ordered by the blonde mage to forget.

"Yes, I'm closing up shop early today," Max informed the Sabertooth Mage. "It looks like it's going to storm soon. If you see anything you want, though, just let me know and I'll ring you up." Internally, he pled with her to purchase something. Belligerent customers he could deal with.

Minerva's lip curled at him. "Like I would want any Fairy Tail shit." But her eyes flickered to one wall and back, too fast for Max to determine just what it was she was looking at.

That single, subtle action changed Max's entire view of the woman. No longer was she a terrifying, sadistic monster of a mage. Now? She was indeed, a customer. One that knew what she really wanted, but something was holding her back from actually saying it. He'd dealt with those types before. Granted, they were usually men who wanted plushies, yet instead bought the figurines with removable clothing because that was what was expected of them. Or vice versa, with some women.

It was his duty to deliver to his patrons what they really wanted, their hearts true desires. Max couldn't resist the challenge being presented to him. He would find out what she wanted and convince her to purchase it. She was just someone who, for whatever reason, couldn't admit to herself much less to others what she desired.

So he smiled at her brightly, taking a page from Lucy's playbook. "Alright, Ms. Orlando," he said, displaying the fact that he did know who she was. "I'm going to finish cleaning up – just let me know if you change your mind."

And then, to her shock, he turned his back on her and resumed his prior sweeping.

Max had to hide his smile when he heard her make a small indignant noise at being so readily dismissed. Tiny pricks of terror crawled up his spine as he recalled just who he was dealing with, though. This woman was still a monster – one that had made Lucy suffer.

"So…" he began conversationally, trying to pull the mage into revealing a hint, "what brings you to Magnolia today?" Max knew full well why she was there. The Master had informed them all of the Territory Mage's impending visit – though it had slipped Max's mind that today was the day she was set to arrive. He hadn't been given any details, however. All he knew was that Lucy wanted to talk to her about something.

"None of your damn business."

He had kind of expected that answer. "I guess not," Max agreed.

"Why are you so damn cheerful?" she asked suddenly, surprising him.

Pausing, Max looked at her. "Come again?"

She glared at his inquisitive look. "You were humming. It was annoying."

Whatever it was she wanted, her desire had to be a rather desperate one if she was still sticking around. "Oh, my apologies." Returning to sweeping the already clean floor, he waited some more.

After a few minutes of silence, when he was about to attempt to peer at her from an oblique angle – to see if she was, in fact, still there – she spoke again. "My Guild Master ordered me to come," Minerva said, stressing the 'ordered,' wanting to make it clear that she was_ not_ doing this of her own volition.

Success! …Sort of. Having her open up at all was a minor victory.

"I see."

Minerva could not for the life of her figure this Fairy out. And he was a Fairy, she was certain of it now. Despite knowing who she was, and what she had done to his guild mate, he was cheerful and polite to her after his initial wariness. Suddenly, she decided that she didn't like referring to him as just, "the Fairy".

"Aren't you going to introduce yourself?" she sneered at him.

The blonde mage blinked, surprised at her question. "Max," he said. "Max Alors."

Max, huh? Minerva ran the name through her head a few times, mulling it over. Max was interesting, for a Fairy. Other than his first reaction, he wasn't intimidated by her. It could be recklessness, but she sensed it was something else. There was just… something in the way he held himself, a cast to his eyes that felt familiar to her. She was positive she'd never met him before, though. So what was it?

"Why do you sell Fairy Tail themed crap?"

He shrugged. "I like to make it, and people like to buy it. Pretty much it, really."

Odd. This Max Alors hadn't sounded offended that she'd just called his workmanship crap. She wondered if he had made that snowman-dog-thing himself, too. The longer she looked at it, the cuter it became. Kind of like the proprietor. He was an attractive man in a scruffy sort of way. "You made all this?"

Max set aside his cleaning tool with reverence. "Not all of it, but most, yeah. I designed just about everything, though. Even the stuff I can't craft myself." He raised his arms until they were at his chest-height, palms facing the ground. "Excuse me, but I need to polish the floors really quick."

Minerva watched with interest as sand poured out of the mage's hands. The grains whispered against each other, a strange ringing tone arising from the contact with each other and then the tiled floor. "Why didn't you do that first?" she asked as the sand scoured the tiles free of lingering filth and shined the stone.

"I like Broom," the Sand Mage stated, his sand returning to him. He lowered his arms. "It's a member of Fairy Tail, too, so I like giving it a job to do."

Raising an eyebrow, Minerva observed the broom closely. There was, indeed, a Fairy Tail Guild stamp on it just above the bristles. She also found it curious that Max had referred to it as if Broom was its name, rather than what it was. "That thing is a guild member of Fairy Tail? I knew you people let trash join you, but isn't it a bit much to allow the things that clean trash like you in?"

If Max was offended by her insults, he didn't show it or rise to the bait. Her respect increased a couple of notches. "Laki stamped Broom with the Guild Mark during a fit of giggles a couple of years ago." He turned and grinned at her. "And Broom is a well-respected member of our guild. Has to be – after all, Broom has cleaned up all sorts of Fairy Tail messes."

"Oh really?" Minerva scoffed. "I suppose now you'll be saying that it's one of your most prized friends."

"It is."

Performing a double-take, she stared the blonde man. "Seriously?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Everyone in Fairy Tail is friends with each other. Including Broom."

That was just weird. "How can you possibly be friends with _everyone _in your guild?" The concept was a foreign one to her. Sting and Rogue she might classify as friends, out of gratefulness, but she drew the line at comradery with the others of her guild.

A cruel smile twisted her lips, and she was satisfied at the subsequent wobble of Max's Adam's apple as he gulped. "Prove it," she challenged.

"Come again?"

"I challenge you!" declared Minerva, haughty. "Prove that you're friends with your entire guild."

Max gave her a long, hard stare. "Like how?"

"Don't friends know everything about each other?" she taunted him. "So tell me something I don't know about them."

He shrugged. "Okay. I don't know about everything, but I could tell you at least a little something." Striding over to the edge of the counter, he lifted a divider. "Why don't you come on inside the shop, though? I think it's about to start raining, and this may take a while."

No sooner had he spoken the words than did Minerva feel a fat droplet of cold water on her face. Taking him up on his offer in order to avoid being drenched, she entered the shop.

Dropping the countertop back into place, Max dug out a second chair for his guest to sit upon.

"Okay!" he announced, plopping down into his seat and placing his hands on his knees. Leaning forward, he grinned at the Sabertooth Mage. "I'll start with Natsu. Now you might not know this, but that guy absolutely loves spicy food. In fact, he orders his meals with enough peppers on them to induce digestive problems…"

* * *

It was over an hour before Max started slowing down in his elocution about his friends and their idiosyncrasies. Although, it didn't feel nearly that long to either of the two mages. At some point, Minerva had stopped making snarky comments about the Fairy Tail members and Max had let go any remaining reticence on his part.

In fact, she had started to truly enjoy listening to and watching Max talk about his friends. His eyes lit up and sparkled, and he liked to use large, sweeping gestures with his hands and arms to emphasize certain points. She even found herself smiling at the occasional funny anecdote and releasing a short laugh or two.

Minerva didn't even care when he moved on from the Fairy Tail guild to his friends in other guilds as well as some of the locals that regularly came by the shop. Max's every word and gesture was punctuated with his clear, deep, and all-encompassing love for his friends and comrades.

However, Max paused when he got to Sabertooth.

"Oh?" she teased. "Have you finally run out of things to say?"

He huffed indignantly. "Of course not! Just trying to think of something you won't already know about them, since you're a part of the same guild. Now let's start with Sting. Whenever he visits, he sneaks off at some point to go and visit our healer in the forest, Porlyusica. I mentioned her earlier, remember?"

"Scary old woman that likes to hit people with brooms, and hates humans so much that she lives in the forest by herself?" Minerva couldn't stop herself from supplying.

Max beamed at her for remembering. "Yeah, her. Sting – I don't know how – became friends with her at some point and likes to go and bug her whenever he's in the area. He usually comes back laden with goodies."

She'd seen those, now that she thought about it. He passed them out to the rest of the guild and refused to say where he'd gotten them from.

"Rogue… really, really likes chocolate. I mean, seriously loves the stuff. It's all he drinks when he's here, and I think Erza has been slipping him cake on the sly."

"Which is saying something, given her love of cake."

"Right! And Rufus has been playing some sort of mental challenge game with Levy and Freed. Levy might actually be winning, but it's hard to tell. Orga and Gajeel are no longer allowed to perform duets, after they shattered all the glasses and bottles of alcohol in the guild hall with their voices alone. Yukino, when she's drunk, likes recite all of the constellations that she can think of very enthusiastically and at the top of her lungs. And Dobengal… don't even get me started on him. He's the hide and seek master, and Asuka is really fond of him."

Minerva couldn't stop herself from giggling at the antics her guild mates got up to when they visited Fairy Tail. She couldn't even bring herself to be annoyed at her lapse in self-control for letting such an undignified sound escape.

Max smiled at her. "Last but far from least… is you."

She blinked. "Me?"

"Yes, you. We're friends now." He winked. "I bet you didn't know that, yet!"

Her mouth opened and closed in shock, unable to articulate an answer.

"I'm not finished, though!" Max's smile fell from his face and he gazed at her with that look in his eyes that felt so familiar. "You're lonely, aren't you?"

Rage swept through her, and she stood up so fast her chair clattered over. "What the hell are you talking about, Fairy?!" she snarled at him. "What the fuck do you know?!"

"A lot," Max admitted. "I know a lot about loneliness. Please sit back down," he implored. "I may have been finished with Sabertooth, but there are still two people you should hear about before you rush to leave."

Wanting to see her challenge through, not because she cared about what this conniving blonde had to say, Minerva did so.

Max smiled weakly at her in relief. "Thanks."

"Whatever," Minerva grumbled. "Get it over with."

"The second to last person I want to tell you about… is a man named Max Alors. Now this dashing young man came from a home with parents that loved him, but unfortunately had little time to interact with their child. With no siblings of his own, and without friends, this man had grown up rather surly and had trouble talking to other people. And he was lonely. Very lonely. Eventually, this man left home and journeyed to a guild, hoping to meet people and make friends. It was hard, but he accomplished his goal and made a great number of them. He thought loneliness was no more… until one day, many of his friends vanished off the face of Earthland. Max Alors again felt that loneliness. It wasn't forever, luckily, but it was enough to remind him to never take his friends for granted." Max met Minerva's gaze, kindness shining within his eyes. "And so he became able to recognize it in others. You're lonely, Minerva. I can tell. You actually do want to make friends, don't you?"

Max abruptly stood up, and plucked a stuffed toy off a shelf before thrusting it into the startled Territory Mage's arms. "And you want to take this little guy with you, too. His name is Plue, by the way. He's based off of a companion Spirit of Lucy Heartfilia's."

Numbly, Minerva clung to the soft plushy. "How did you…?"

The Sand Mage grinned at her, sitting down once more. "I knew from the beginning that there was something here you wanted! It just took me a while to figure out where you were looking the most."

"But I can't…"

"He's on the house. Just consider it fair payment for putting up with my rant so patiently for so long!" Max leaned over the side of his chair, digging around in a compartment hidden underneath the counter. "Also…" He pulled out a small object and reaching over, placed it in her palms, folding her hands over it. "This is a straight out gift."

When he removed his warm hands from hers, Minerva peered at the item.

It was a small glass orb, filled with black sand. The inside was painted on one side to show a starry night with a full moon. Small strains of paler sand mixed in amongst the black gave it the appearance of moonlight upon the crafted dunes. There was even a tiny cactus made of the same dark grains of sand. The sand had been hardened so it wouldn't shift within the orb.

Minerva thought it was beautiful.

"I named it, 'Dark Sands'." Max laughed loudly and long. "I know, not very creative of me. But I think this belongs with you."

"I can't accept this," Minerva stated firmly, trying to hand the glass orb back to Max. "You could get a lot of money if you sold this."

Max gently pushed her hands and the orb back to her. "No, I couldn't. I don't sell the orbs. I make them for me… with a little help from Natsu or Laxus for the glass molding. I want you to have it, because you're my friend and I think it suits you."

The Sabertooth Mage didn't know what to say. She held onto it for a moment, before blurting out, "But I don't have anything to give you in return!"

He waved off her concern. "That's perfectly fine. This is a gift from me, because I felt like it. You don't need to feel obligated in any way."

Standing again, he stretched. "Why don't you wait outside the shop while I lock up really quick? Then I can go with you to the guild."

Minerva nodded, not trusting her voice to remain steady.

She didn't have long to wait, and soon Max fell into step beside her. With amusement, she observed that she was actually taller than him. Funny how she hadn't noticed until now.

"Where's the stuff?" Max asked, curious about where it had disappeared to.

"I put them in one of my territories."

"Ah, okay."

After a few minutes of walking in companionable silence, Minerva asked, "So who was the final person you needed to say something about?"

"Oh!" Max exclaimed. "I nearly forgot. Lucy Heartfilia is the last one."

Minerva raised an eyebrow at him. "Why save her for last?"

He hummed, thinking. "Seemed right. She's… well…" Max thought hard, before finishing, "She knows about loneliness, too. I can't go into details, because I don't know her feelings about sharing the information, but yeah. She understands it."

Nodding, Minerva accepted the answer.

"If you ask her, I'm sure she'll let you see the original Plue," Max teased lightly.

A minute blush dusted the woman's face. "You're a riot, Max."

* * *

Max sat at his normal table with Warren, and clinked his mug of beer together with his longtime friend's. "Cheers!"

Warren repeated the call. "So tell me, Max. Do you know what's up with that?" He pointed towards the bar, where the fearsome Sabertooth woman conversed calmly with the guild's Celestial Mage.

Minerva held a white stuffed plush toy in her lap, and Lucy held onto the real life version of the same.

The Sand Mage shrugged. "They're friends? I guess?"

"Helpful," Warren muttered. "Real helpful. So, did you make any sales, today?"

"Just one," Max admitted.

"Really? Was it even worth opening the store?"

Max threw another glance at the dark woman that had listened to his entire schpeal about his friends.

She caught his gaze for a split second, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, before her attention returned to Lucy.

"Yeah, totally worth it."

* * *

**I'm rather pleased with how this turned out.**

**Please review, and let me know what you think!**


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